Performance:
WCU Low Tech Ensemble
BMCM+AC
Friday, April 22, 2005 7:30 pm
$7 / $5 BMCM+AC members and students, children under 12 free
The Black Mountain College Museum + Arts Center is pleased to announce a performance by the Western Carolina University Low Tech Ensemble on Friday April 22 at 7:30 pm. The performance will take place at the BMC Museum/Arts Center’s gallery located at 56 Broadway in downtown Asheville. Admission is $7, $5 for members and students, and free for children under 12.
The WCU Low Tech Ensemble consists of student musicians from Western Carolina University under the leadership of music faculty member Dr. Will Peebles. They play a traditional Asian instrument called a gamelan. A gamelan is an orchestra of tuned metal percussion instruments characteristic of Java, Bali, Malaysia and other island cultures off the coast of Southeast Asia. Each gamelan has its own name, its own tuning system, and its own distinctive "personality." The gamelan played by the WCU Low Tech Ensemble is named Gunung biru, which means "Venerable Blue Mountain", a tribute to its home in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. Gunung biru was built in 2002 by Tentrem Sarwanto of Surakarta, Java. In residence at Western Carolina University since January 2003, Gamelan Gunung biru is one of about 150 gamelans in the United States and one of only a handful in the Southeast.
The gamelan orchestra connects with Black Mountain College history by way of the pioneering musician and innovative composer Lou Harrison, who was on the Black Mountain College faculty from 1951-53. Prior to his work at Black Mountain College, Harrison had studied with composers Arnold Schoenberg, Henry Cowell, and Virgil Thomson and was steeped in new music theory. He was present at BMC in the company of such risk-takers as John Cage, Merce Cunningham, Robert Rauschenberg, Franz Kline and M.C. Richards, all of whom pushed and supported each other to new realms of artistic exploration. Harrison had a lifelong interest in world music, particularly the music of Asia, which led to his study and use of the gamelan.
After the performance by the WCU Low Tech Ensemble, audience members will be invited to come up and play the gamelan. According to Dr. Peebles, kids in their audiences find particular enjoyment in playing the instrument.
The photograph above shows WCU students playing the gamelan. The illustrated students are (L to R) Sandra Karasciewicz, Grace Ghearing, Kelly Swenson, and Roberto Robles. Grace (foreground) is playing the bonang. The picture was taken by Mark Haskett, WCU Office of Public Information
The Black Mountain College Museum and Arts Center is located at 56 Broadway in downtown Asheville. Hours are 12-4 pm Wednesday through Saturday and by appointment.
The Black Mountain College Museum & Arts Center preserves and continues the unique legacy of educational and artistic innovation of Black Mountain College for public study and enjoyment. We achieve our mission through collection, conservation, and educational activities including exhibition, publication, and public programs.
